Red Beans-Undercooked.

[zki]

Simmered red beans 2 hrs after soaking 8 hrs - still a little hard

I keep the pot lid open a crack on stove. I store them in glass containers sealed tight - probably over a year. I was under the impression beans last a long time if sealed and stored in a cool & dark place. Most of the cooked beans are soft but not real soft. Comments?

 

[Bob Who]

Beans do keep a long time, but how old were the batch you got when you bought them? The older the beans often the longer they take to cook. Did you bring them to a boil then simmer? Did you salt your soaking water? I've had times vary, 30-40 minutes, from the same batch of beans cooked on different days.The best rule isn't the time, but cook until done it.

 

[Emma JC]

I would soak red beans for 12-24 hours and then cook for much longer than 2 hours unless you have an instant pot.

I learned the other day that kidney beans, chick peas etc, cannot be cooked in a crock pot because they have to come to a boil. I did not know that. I think I tried to do kidney beans in a crock pot once, they didn't cook and I didn't do it again.

I saw someone add baking soda to soaking and cooking chick peas on a video... has anyone else tried that?

Emma JC

 

[shyvas]

I would soak red beans for 12-24 hours and then cook for much longer than 2 hours unless you have an instant pot.

I learned the other day that kidney beans, chick peas etc, cannot be cooked in a crock pot because they have to come to a boil. I did not know that. I think I tried to do kidney beans in a crock pot once, they didn't cook and I didn't do it again.

I saw someone add baking soda to soaking and cooking chick peas on a video... has anyone else tried that?

Emma JC

Red kidney beans have to be boiled vigourously for the first 10-15 due to a toxin that they contain.

 

[zki]

Don't know how old batch was... Did bring them to a boil before simmering... I don't add any salt... When they're done, not time - got it--Thanks

 

[shyvas]

Old beans take forever to cook. I once bought some black beans sold in bulk at my local hypermarket. They just wouldn't go soft so that was the last time that I bought any in that store.

Beans are at their best during their first year. They can keep for years and years but will require longer soaking and cooking.

 

[shyvas]

Mod Post. Please Read.

Red kidney beans contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin and must be boiled for at least 10 minutes before consumption
But make sure the water is at boiling temperature; when cooked at temperatures below boiling, the beans' toxicity is multiplied.

That means you shouldn't chuck them in the slow cooker unless you've boiled them first. Symptoms include severe nausea and
vomiting, which in most cases clear up in a few hours.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food...L_shd41-lLJellEjt3MhENDHHWy1s8vqNpzfsx3RtJ0tH

 

[David3]

Mod Post. Please Read.

Red kidney beans contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin and must be boiled for at least 10 minutes before consumption
But make sure the water is at boiling temperature; when cooked at temperatures below boiling, the beans' toxicity is multiplied.

That means you shouldn't chuck them in the slow cooker unless you've boiled them first. Symptoms include severe nausea and
vomiting, which in most cases clear up in a few hours.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food...L_shd41-lLJellEjt3MhENDHHWy1s8vqNpzfsx3RtJ0tH

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration makes the same recommendation as shyvas' cited Huffington Post article: https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcp...hogens/Natural-Toxins/Phytohaemagglutinin.pdf . Boil those beans!
.

 

[David3]

Beans are amazing. Not only do they keep for a long time, but they can remain viable as seeds for thousands of years.

Seeds are awesome. It's like an entire plant, placed in long-term suspended animation.

Oldest viable seed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

.

 

[Nekodaiden]

I would soak red beans for 12-24 hours and then cook for much longer than 2 hours unless you have an instant pot.

I learned the other day that kidney beans, chick peas etc, cannot be cooked in a crock pot because they have to come to a boil. I did not know that. I think I tried to do kidney beans in a crock pot once, they didn't cook and I didn't do it again.

I saw someone add baking soda to soaking and cooking chick peas on a video... has anyone else tried that?

Emma JC

Re: Bold: No, however I have used the nixtamalization method *(using wood ash) to quickly cook non-soaked legumes. I'm not sure I would chance it with something like kidney beans, I don't think. Have to be careful with those things.

* Careful if this method is used. Rinse your beans/grains very very well until the water is clear else you'll be ingesting oxidated minerals. I didn't rinse well enough when I was doing it more regularly, and I think this may very well have been the cause of a temporary problem I had long ago, which was tingling in my hands.

Edit: I should probably have used stronger language and insist that something like kidney beans be pre-soaked and cooked properly and forget the nixtamalization method for them. Can be used for other grains/legumes but you don't want to take chances with kidney beans.

 

[Blues]

I was with a group that eat red beans in a dish that was not properly cooked, I pointed it out and they just shrugged their shoulders at me .....heck they got crook afterwards

 

[David3]

I was with a group that eat red beans in a dish that was not properly cooked, I pointed it out and they just shrugged their shoulders at me .....heck they got crook afterwards

Oh no! So needless. If they would have just boiled their beans like normal people, all would have been fine.
.

 

[Blues]

Oh no! So needless. If they would have just boiled their beans like normal people, all would have been fine.
.

David I have observed in life some people you just can’t help

 

[silva]

Mod Post. Please Read.

Red kidney beans contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin and must be boiled for at least 10 minutes before consumption
But make sure the water is at boiling temperature; when cooked at temperatures below boiling, the beans' toxicity is multiplied.

That means you shouldn't chuck them in the slow cooker unless you've boiled them first. Symptoms include severe nausea and
vomiting, which in most cases clear up in a few hours.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food...L_shd41-lLJellEjt3MhENDHHWy1s8vqNpzfsx3RtJ0tH

The same for soy beans!!!

Adding some baking soda will help with older beans

And never add anything with acid--like tomato products--or beans don't cook well at all. I found that out recently when I added tomato paste without thinking!